Our local musicians decided it was time for another gig. With “Talk Like a Pirate Day” just around the corner they chose to have a bit of a pirate theme.

“Talk Like a Pirate Day” isn’t actually until September 19. In true pirate fashion somebody must have gotten confused but any excuse will do.

There was a three band lineup and I just missed the first one due to work commitments. On my way back from the dark sector I heard a lot of hooting and shouting. Some of the people that don’t get out much ventured onto the observation deck just outside the concert venue and for the first time saw the orange glow of the returning sun on the horizon. A welcome sight indeed.

The new formed Irish band “The Scroggin’ Wankers” had its much celebrated debut. Depressing or drunken Irish songs just hit the winter-over mood at this time of the year. Not sure why :-)

You may have noticed that the page peel in the top right corner of this site is gone. This is good news! I’m happy to report that Trapper’s family raised the funds for his Autism Assistance Dog. I’m glad that the South Pole family could contribute in a small way. Thanks to everyone who helped. You can still help others by making a donation to http://www.4PawsForAbility.org.

Here at the South Pole we are getting close to our traditional midwinter celebration. After several weeks of nice cold weather with clear skies, perfect conditions for CMB observations, we have hit a bit of a heatwave at around 50°C with blowing snow and even snow fall. Not great for CMB and lots of snow to clean from the telescope ground shield. The interesting thing is that even with all this nice and cold weather we haven’t hit -100F yet. Good thing the 300 Club has a live long membership.